Commerzbank in Frankfurt am Main, 1994-1996
Approaching 1,000 feet in height, a giant set in the midst of the pulsating city,
and Europe's tallest office building: that is the Commerzbank Tower in
Frankfurt am Main. Building it presented the HOCHTIEF planners with a mass
of difficult logistical problems. There was virtually no space available for storing
materials. A pioneering concept had to be turned into a skyscraper within a
cramped space and in the shortest possible time - or in other words "just in time".
Building material was delivered in accordance with a meticulous timetable and placed
in position straight off the truck. 18,000 metric tons of high-grade steel, 9,000 girders,
supports, and connecting elements, some of them weighing 30 tons, were all piloted
into downtown Frankfurt. Up to 850 people were working on the site at any given
time. The interiors started to be finished off on the lower floors while steel was still
being cut and welded further up.
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